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I nodded. Going up to the king with Orla’s support would be wiser. There was a chance the king would not take our claims seriously, and then we would be in trouble. Orla would help. She would believe us and make sure the king did too.
When we reached Orla’a floor, we darted away from the twisting stairs and ran to her door. The door was opened slightly. I knocked, and it opened wider.
“She’s not here,” I said, staring at the empty room.
“Should we wait?” Xira asked.
“No,” I replied. “If Lugh realizes I’m not dead, he might decide to do something about it. We should go to the king.”
“We’re not high nobility, Casja,” Xira replied. “We are not allowed to speak to the king without being invited.”
“The king won’t get mad,” I replied, closing Orla’s door and turning back to the hallway. “This is important.”
Xira seemed hesitant, but she followed me as I walked by her to reach the stairs leading up.
“Where is everyone?” She mumbled as we reached the top of the stairs. King Duncan’s room was on this floor, and there were no guards guarding his door either.
“Do you think the king is away?” Xira asked. “The guards might have gone with him.”
My heart sank. If the king wasn’t in his quarters, we would have to find another way to get the message across.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Let’s take a look.”
We walked past the wide hallway and reached a door. It had beautiful engravings that caught my eye as I stood before it. The door was closed.
“Should we knock?” I asked Xira while still staring at the engravings that depicted a fight between a deer and a bear. It seemed like the deer was winning.
“We can’t just knock on the king’s door,” she said, appalled that I would think we could. “Guards open the king’s door. These are his private quarters. Perhaps he is in his war room downstairs.”
I didn’t know what Xira was talking about. I’ve been here countless times. King Duncan was my good friend. He wouldn’t be mad if I went into his room uninvited.
I smiled and reached for the door handle. It would be fine. There was no reason to fear.
I opened the door and stepped inside. Xira did too. It seemed her objections had evaporated into the air.
There were guards inside. The king was here, too. He was on his knees in the middle of the room. He looked calm and steady, and although his face was twisted with pain, I knew he had to be fine.
Lord Merick stood beside him. He looked handsome and powerful.
All was fine. I felt my hand reaching up to tap one of the guards on the shoulder.
She wore Lord Merick’s sigil. She would help.
“Could you please make sure I don’t go anywhere?” I asked her. My voice was not mine. “I am trying to help the king.”
Her face twisted with confusion until she looked past me. Her gaze stopped on something behind me, and although I felt slightly curious, I knew I wasn’t supposed to look behind to see where the guard was staring at. I was dangerous, and I had to ensure the guard restrained me before anything else happened.
“Lady Queill,” she bowed respectfully, still staring at a spot behind me. “Would you like us to detain these two?”
“Yes,” Lady Queill spoke. “Make sure they do not interrupt us.”
As soon as the guard grabbed me and twisted my arms behind my back, I knew. Fear returned to me as I felt Lady Queill’s tendrils letting my mind go.
Xira and I exchanged glances as the guard turned me over. Another guard was tying Xira’s hands behind her back as the guard behind me did the same to me. The room's noise came to me in full force, and I realized everything happening around me.
Lady Queill’s mind magic bubble disappeared. All I had now was dread and confusion.
She didn’t pay any attention to either of us as she stepped inside the room. She walked past Xira and me without giving us another look.
“Everything is settled, my Lord,” she said, facing Lord Merick. “The soldiers who are loyal to him have been taken care of. The loyal lords have been captured as well.”
“And Orla?” Lord Merick asked, a flicker of fear passing through his gaze.
“She is dead,” Lady Queill replied calmly. “It is done. The Winter Castle is yours.”
